#99cents #Sales and Bribes! #DABWAHA #GLBT

Good morning everyone!

I am taking over the blog this week going on endlessly about being a finalist in the DABWAHAs, sponsored by the Dear Author and Smart Bitches Trashy Books review blogs.

http://www.loose-id.com/his-kind-of-woman.html

First off, I want to let you know that my transgender romance His Kind of Woman is on sale for  99 cents for a limited time. If you haven't read it yet, now's the perfect opportunity to snatch it up!

Now, it has come to my attention that authors in the running are encouraged to *bribe* people to vote for them! I am shocked, shocked I say, that two such respected book blogs would lower themselves to such shenanigans.

I have been scurrying around like a headless chicken looking at what my competitors are offering in bribes, and I gotta say--I got nuthin'. Other authors are offering new stories, have cute drawings and artsy stuff. Can I help it if I'm not talented that way?

My l'il shortie is the dark horse in the tournament. The underdog. David among the Goliaths. (Have I gotten your sympathy yet?) I'm the ninety eight pound weakling with the coke-bottle glasses going up against Russell Crowe in Gladiator.

Still, I'm prepared to get down and dirty with the rest of them. So in that spirit, here's what I'm offering:

If I make it past the first round of votes (I'm up against KJ Charles' The Magpie Lord, which has 900+ ratings on Goodreads, for God's sake!) I'm prepared to reveal a whole bunch of humiliating photos of me trying to pose for what would laughingly be termed a "head shot." Nothing professional, mind you. Just photos taken by my sister holding her smartphone the wrong way!

Still, these pics will provide you with many a hearty guffaw at my expense.  They'll be worth years of finger pointing, snickering and exclamations like "Look at that!" and "What was she thinking?"

So that's it. First round voting begins March 20. My book is #14 in the Fourth set. You can see the roster at http://dabwaha.com/

I'll be posting links and updates on my Facebook page and Twitter.  Stay tuned!

Have a great day!

Nona Raines

Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com

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Meet the #GLBT Nominees! #DABWAHA #romance

*Note--This post was edited on Sunday, March 16 to add the reader-nominated finalist to the GLBT category*

Good morning, everyone! Remember how I told you my trans* romance His Kind of Woman was a finalist in the DABWAHA tournament sponsored by Dear Author/Smart Bitches? Well, all the nominees in the GLBT category sound awesome. I must admit I haven't read them all, but I'm going to!

I remember watching the Emmy Awards back in 2011 when the nominees for Best Actress in a Comedy Series were announced. Instead of squirming nervously in their seats, all the actresses traipsed up to the stage and stood together, beauty contest style, to await news of the winner. What a funny, classy moment! As an homage to that, I would like to share the entire line-up in the GLBT category of the DABWAHAs. 

May I present the nominees:

The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles

Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He’s also inherited his family’s enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn’t expect it to turn up angry.

Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane’s family. Unfortunately, it’s his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he’s ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude…and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That’s definitely unusual.

Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane’s dangerous appeal isn’t the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can’t find a way through it—they’re both going to die. 
Purchase at | Amazon | BN | Kobo

Read the Dear Author review!

His Kind of Woman by Nona Raines

When Roy Girard went looking for Victor Varrano, he never expected a woman to answer the door. He soon discovers that Victor is now Venetia. Roy's startled, but even more surprised by his attraction to her. As they spend time together, he doesn't want to let her go. But she's sure to dump him when she learns his secret.

Venetia's falling hard and fast for Roy. But when she learns that his brother was the bully who tormented her in high school, she's shattered. She can't wrap her head around the fact that the man who made such amazing love to her could so completely betray her trust.

Purchase at Loose Id
Read the Dear Author review!

Code of Honor by Radclyffe
 Blair Powell is set to join her father on the campaign trail even though a domestic terrorist group has already launched one attack on President Andrew Powell's life. The orchestrators of the assassination attempt are still at large, and Andrew's opponent is a popular ultra-conservative with questionable ties to the radical right. Blair's wife, DHS Deputy Director Cameron Roberts has been charged with the task of tracking down those responsible for the attack, while secretly searching for proof that a powerful senator is involved in treason. Cam has an ace in the hole no one knows about, however—an agent deep undercover in the stronghold of a radical militia group, FBI SA Loren McElroy. Cam's biggest challenge is running the terrorists to ground without getting McElroy and her renegade handler, Skylar Dunbar, killed in the cross fire.

Purchase at | Amazon | BN | Kobo

Love by the Numbers by Karen Kallmaker 
As a behavioral scientist, Professor Nicole Hathaway’s work strips away the foolish mystique that surrounds the human mating dance. When her academic tome is treated as a viral “love manual” her ecstatic publisher books her to appear all over the U.S. and Europe. Worse yet, her quiet, managed life has been shattered by a series of incompetent assistants. And she’s certain this Lily Smith creature isn’t going to be any less a burden than the last assistant they sent her. Or the one before that. Or before that...

Lillian Linden-Smith needs this job. With a relentless TV lawyer and public mob still out for her blood for crimes committed by her “American royalty” parents, getting out of the country is her only hope for anonymity. If that means cleaning up and presenting an antisocial know-it-all Ph.D. for bookstores, clubs and lectures, fine. Dr. Hathaway may have succeeded in driving away all the others, but not this time.

From their first meeting the sparks fly, and each is thinking: She has no idea who she’s dealing with.

Purchase at | Amazon | BN | Kobo

Read the Dear Author review!

Provoked by Joanna Chambers
Lowborn David Lauriston lacks the family connections needed to rise in Edinburgh’s privileged legal world. Worse, his latest case—defending weavers accused of treason—has brought him under suspicion of harbouring radical sympathies. 

Troubled by his sexuality, tormented by memories of a man he once platonically loved, David lives a largely celibate life—until a rare sexual encounter with a compelling stranger turns his world on its head. 

Cynical and worldly, Lord Murdo Balfour is more at home in hedonistic London than dingy, repressed Edinburgh. Unlike David, he intends to eventually marry while continuing to enjoy the company of men whenever he pleases. Yet sex with David is different. It’s personal, intimate, and instead of extinguishing his desire, it only leaves him hungry for more. 

As David’s search for the man who betrayed the weavers deepens, he begins to suspect that his mysterious lover has more sinister reasons for his presence in Edinburgh. The truth could leave his heart broken…and more necks stretching on the gallows.

Purchase at Amazon | BN | Kobo
Read the Dear Author review! 

Captive Prince Vol. 1 by SU Pacat & CS Pacat
 Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, but when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.

Beautiful, manipulative and deadly, his new master Prince Laurent epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Verethian court, nothing is at it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.

For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reasons to hate him than anyone else...

Purchase at Amazon | BN | Kobo

Read the Dear Author review!

Broken Trails by D. Jordan Redhawk 
Scotch Fuller has already run the Iditarod three times and is preparing for a fourth attempt. Her single-minded focus on the rigors of training allows her to forget the shocking loss of her lover in a tragedy for which she blames herself.

The only race Lainey Hughes runs is away from her past and into the bottom of a bottle. After a devastating injury in a war zone, she’s continued her photojournalist career in the natural beauty and warmth of Uganda. A trip to Alaska to cover dog sledding is not what she wants, but the lure of a paying gig proves too tempting.

Lainey trusts her camera and Scotch trusts her dogs—and neither cares much what the other thinks…not at first.

Purchase at | Amazon | BN | Kobo
Read the Dear Author review!

Touch and Geaux by Abigail Roux

After having their faces plastered across the news during a high-profile case, FBI Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett have become more useful to the Bureau posing for photo ops than working undercover. Just as Zane is beginning to consider retirement a viable option, Ty receives a distress call from a friend, leading them to a city rife with echoes from the past.

New Orleans wears its history on its streets, and it’s the one place Ty’s face could get him killed. Surrounded by trouble as soon as they land, Ty and Zane are swiftly confronted with a past from which Ty can’t hide—one with a surprising connection to Zane’s.

As threats close in from all directions, both men must come to terms with the lives they’ve led and the lies they’ve told. They soon discover that not all their secrets are out yet, and nothing lasts forever.

Purchase at | Amazon | BN | Kobo

The first round of voting in the DABWAHAs takes place March 18 - 19. Be sure to cast your votes! To see the finalists in all the categories, go here: http://dabwaha.com/

Oh, and by the way: the winner of 2011 Emmy for Best Actress in a comedy series was Melissa McCarthy. You can see a picture of her with her award and tiara here.

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

Nona Raines

Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com

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It's an Honor to be Nominated! #DABWAHA #GLBT #romance

I opened my email yesterday and found an awesome surprise. My transgender romance novella, His Kind of Woman, has been nominated for a DABWAHA in the GLBT category! DABWAHA (pronounced dah-BWAH-hah) stands for Dear Author Bitchery Writing Award for Hellagood Authors and is sponsored by the Dear Author and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books review blogs.

To say I'm thrilled is an understatement. I'm kvelling. I'm verklempt. And why I'm resorting to Yiddish terms, I have no idea. They just seem to fit.

There is some mighty stiff competition in my category, and I have to say all the books look amazing. If you'd like to see the entire list of nominees and categories, check here.

The first round of voting begins March 18-19, and what's more, you can play the tournament and win prizes. 

And if you haven't had a chance to read my story, maybe you'd like to give it a try. 

Blurb:

When Roy Girard went looking for Victor Varrano, he never expected a woman to answer the door. He soon discovers that Victor is now Venetia. Roy's startled, but even more surprised by his attraction to her. As they spend time together, he doesn't want to let her go. But she's sure to dump him when she learns his secret.

Venetia's falling hard and fast for Roy. But when she learns that his brother was the bully who tormented her in high school, she's shattered. She can't wrap her head around the fact that the man who made such amazing love to her could so completely betray her trust.

Excerpt:

      He took the shot and frowned at the pins left standing. Crap. A washout. His concentration was off.

      When he glanced at Venetia, she was smiling at him, her eyes soft and glowing. “What?” he asked. “It’s funny I muffed the shot?”

     “No. What you said to your friend. Did you mean it?”

     “What?” He felt a little panicky. What had he said?

     She stood and strolled over to him. “You know.” Pressing close to his side, she slipped her hand into his back pocket. “About me being your girl. Am I?”

     His head whirled as her floral scent filled his nostrils, but his cock felt no confusion. It definitely rose to the occasion. He shifted, cleared his throat, and held his bowling ball to hide his hard-on as best he could. “What do you think?” he growled.

     Her soft breast pressed into his biceps as she leaned in and sweetly kissed his cheek. He had an irrational impulse to sink his mouth to her neck, lick her, bite her. Instead he swept his free arm up her back to hold her close, save this moment in time. He pulled her tight against him and lowered his mouth to hers.

    Their first kiss. It should have been on her doorstep or some romantic place, not in some dingy little bowling alley. But now that he’d tasted her, he wanted more. He possessed her mouth, opened and explored it. He slid his hand down to her ass, then slipped two fingers into her back pocket. When he let her go, she gripped his shoulders as though she feared falling without his support.

    Or maybe she was holding him up. He couldn’t tell.

His Kind of Woman, available exclusively at Loose Id:

http://www.loose-id.com/his-kind-of-woman.html

My #Transgender #Romance His Kind of Woman Has #Reviews!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Whenever an author has a new book published, the nail-biting begins. How will readers react to the story? And what will reviewers have to say?

I've been very happy to find that my latest novella, His Kind of Woman, has received some lovely reviews.  It was "Highly Recommended" by Gabbi at Top 2 Bottom Reviews who said it "brought a smile to my face". She gave it four and a half kisses. GiGi at MM Good Book Reviews gave it a "Recommended Read" and four hearts. She said "it packs a lot of thought".

Jayne at Dear Author enjoyed the characters and said "The humor is a plus, too." She gave it a B rating, which made me quite happy as the reviewers at Dear Author are a bit like those strict-but-fair teachers who were "hard markers" back in the day.

Positive reviews are wonderful and give a great ego boost, but even more important is knowing that these readers were touched by the story and by both characters. That really makes my day!

His Kind of Woman is a Spring Fling available here at Loose Id.

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

Nona Raines

Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com

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